


The Little Things

by Harleydoll



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Drabble, I just felt like tagging it that way, M/M, Post-Canon, because Cherik, manipulative!Charles, suspicious!Erik, there's no actual slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-05
Updated: 2012-04-05
Packaged: 2017-11-03 01:54:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/375801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harleydoll/pseuds/Harleydoll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set in a world where after Charles got shot on the beach, Erik ended up staying with him and founding the school together. Charles gets a bit more liberal with his powers around the students, and Erik doesn't like it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Little Things

**Author's Note:**

> Just a short piece I wrote because I'm in the mood for some manipulative!Charles. Also in my headcanon Charles is a coffee drinker.

At first it was the little things, barely even noticeable, but conveniently there all the same. A slight nudge to convince the hostess that yes, there was a table reserved under the name Xavier, and another to inform the cab driver that he was waiting for them rather than the elderly couple still inside. Erik didn't particularly mind; he would never condone using their powers, and it wasn't as though Charles was causing any harm. Just a little push here and there, nothing to draw attention or unrest. Besides, they were just strangers, humans that Erik and Charles agreed were better left content in their ignorance. 

One morning, however, Erik began to have his doubts. 

“Is that the last of the coffee?” Charles stared pointedly at the only mug on the table. 

“Um, yeah, sorry about that,” came Hank's sheepish reply. “I pulled another all-nighter in the lab.” 

“Again, Hank?” Charles' voice was soft but chastising. “Perhaps what you really need, then, is less caffeine and more rest.” 

Hank blinked, then stood and pushed the mug over to Charles. 

“Of course. Thanks, Professor.” 

Charles' eyes flashed with triumph as he watched Hank's exit, which he quickly hid behind the rim of the coffee mug as he took a satisfied sip. 

Erik stared at him. “Don't think I didn't catch that.” 

“What do you mean?” Charles blinked at him innocently. 

“You know what.” 

“Alright, I used a _bit_ of mental suggestion,” he admitted. “But I probably did him a favour, the boy's exhausted!” 

“You promised you wouldn't. Not with us.”

Charles sighed. “You're right, I'm sorry. But it was a minor slip, no damage done. Can we just forget about it?” 

Erik frowned, but relented under Charles' apologetic gaze. “Fine. But there better not be a next time, or--”

“There won't be,” Charles interrupted. “You said yourself, I promised.” 

Erik stood and snatched the now lukewarm coffee from Charles' hands. “Save your tricks for the less evolved species.” 

~~~

Over the next week, small changes began to occur in the mansion. On Monday, Erik caught Sean leaving Charles' study, eyes slightly glassed over as he excused himself and hurried down the hall. On Wednesday, he ran into Hank going to bed at the same time as the other students. 

“Finished in the lab for the night?” Erik had asked casually. 

“It'll keep til morning,” Hank replied, before continuing on his way. 

On Thursday one of the new students, not watching where he was going, slammed face first into Alex's chest. Erik had stalked over, ready to break up the inevitable altercation, but Alex merely smiled and gave the boy a friendly punch on the shoulder before sending him on his way. 

Unable to contain himself any longer, Erik stopped Alex and asked whether he'd been to see Professor Xavier recently. 

“Yeah, he called me to his office after I got into a fight with Sam Guthrie this morning. But he--” 

“I don't care,” Erik interrupted. “What did Charles tell you?” 

“He said that so much anger wasn't healthy, or something like that,” Alex said. “I actually felt a lot better afterwards.” 

“I bet,” Erik muttered. 

“What's that?” 

“Nothing.” He turned and headed back towards Charles' office, which was empty when he arrived. He checked their bedroom, the kitchen, and the main floor common room, but there was no sign of Charles anywhere. If Erik didn't know any better, he'd think Charles was avoiding him. Just as he was about to give up altogether, he sensed the familiar metal of Charles' wheelchair and followed it around the corner to Raven's bedroom. He stopped outside the closed door and leaned in to eavesdrop on the argument on the other side. 

“Oh come on, Charles, it's just a party,” Raven was saying. “And I wasn't looking for your permission, anyway.” 

“Raven, I'm still technically responsible for you, and the curfew applies to all students, including my sister. Not to mention you seem to forget how to keep up appearances when you;re inebriated.” 

“Oh come on, that was one time, and they were all drunk too. I bet no one even remembers that night properly, let alone my changing hair colour.” 

“It doesn't matter,” Charles said. “The fact remains we can't risk exposure like that. The world isn't ready for us. I thought we'd all learned that when we tried to stop a war and ended up being fired upon ourselves.” 

“I'm not going to get shot if my eyes flash yellow by mistake,” Raven retorted. “And I'm going whether you like it or not. I'm sick of being cooped up here.” 

“Surely you don't need to go out tonight. Not after you made plans to meet up with Angel already.” Erik barely caught the subtle change in Charles' tone as he spoke. “Why don't you go and find her instead.” 

There was a silence, and then Raven spoke again. “Oh my God, I'm a horrible friend. How could I have forgotten about that?” Erik stepped away from the door just before it opened and Raven emerged, not even seeming to register Erik's presence as she took off down the hall. Charles wheeled out after her, but paused when he saw Erik waiting for him. 

“I get it,” Erik cut Charles off before he could speak. “I get that Hank was a minor slip up. I get that Alex was just a little push him in the right direction. But Charles, your own sister? After you promised her, promised all of us, that our minds were off limits? Have you been sneaking around in my head too, tweaking my thoughts and smoothing out the cracks?” 

“I would never betray your trust like that,” Charles said quietly.

“But you did it to Raven? How do I know I'm not next? We're supposed to be safe here, Charles. Not just from those idiot humans, but from each other. What gives you the right to invade these children's minds and take away their free will like that?” 

Charles' eyes went wide with panic, and then his expression softened as he took Erik's hand in his own. “You have every right to be concerned, my friend. But I have things under control. I am always in control.” 

Erik blinked and shook his head with a smile. “Of course. Forgive me?” 

“Always.”


End file.
